The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Breast Outpatient Clinics: A Retrospective Analysis of 928 Patients

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the impact of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 on breast outpatient clinic admissions in terms of visit rates, reasons for visits, associated diseases and outcomes. Material and Methods: We retrospectively compared patients who presented to the breast outpatient clinic in a tertiary care center during the COVID-19 pandemic and pre-pandemic period. Age, sex, family history, reasons for admission (routine follow-up, first-time visit, referral from other clinics, active complaints), and the presence of BIRADS-5 lesions were recorded. IBM SPSS Statistics version 22 (IBM SPSS,Turkey) was used for statistical analysis. Quantitative variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative variables were analyzed using the Pearson Chi-Square and Fisher's Exact test. Results with p<0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The number of admissions was 561 during the pre-pandemic period and 367 during the pandemic. Age, sex, family history, BIRADS-5 lesions, and the proportion of patients admitted for a first-time visit were similar in both periods (p>0.05). The proportion of admissions for routine follow-up was 25.9% (n=95) and referrals to other clinics were 14.7% (n=54) during the pandemic, both rates were higher than in the pre-pandemic period (p=0.047, p=0.001, respectively). The proportion who admitted with active complaints was 52.9% (n=194) during the pandemic which was lower than pre-pandemic period (p=0.001). However, the proportion of active complaints remained the most common reason in both periods (66% and 52.9%, respectively). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a disruption in outpatient clinic admissions among patients with active breast complaints, but this impact was not observed during routine follow-up visits.

Keywords

• Covid-19
• Pandemic
• Breast outpatient clinics
• Breast surgery
• Breast Cancer.

COVID-19 Pandemisinin Meme Polikliniğine Etkisi; 928 Hastalık Retrospektif Analiz

Abstract

ÖZ Amaç: Çalışmada COVID-19 pandemisinin Meme Polikliniği başvurularına hem başvuru oranı ve nedeni hem de saptanan hastalık ve sonuç yönünden etkisinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışmada, üçüncü basamak bir merkezde Meme Polikliniğine COVID-19 pandemisinde ve pandemi öncesinde başvuran hastalar retrospektif karşılaştırılmıştır. Hastaların yaş, cinsiyet, aile öyküsü, başvuru nedenleri (rutin kontrol, ilk kez kontrol, başka birimlerce yönlendirilme ve aktif şikâyet) ve BIRADS 5 lezyon varlığı kaydedilmiştir. İstatistiksel analizlerde IBM SPSS Statistics 22 (IBM SPSS, Türkiye) kullanılmıştır. Nicel veriler tanımlayıcı metodlarla (ortalama, standart sapma, medyan, frekans, oran, minimum, maksimum), nitel veriler Pearson Chi-Square ve Fisher’s Exact testle değerlendirilmiştir. p<0.05 olan değerler istatistiksel olarak anlamlı kabul edilmiştir. Bulgular: Başvuru sayısı pandemi öncesi dönemde 561 iken pandemi döneminde 367’dir. Yaş, cinsiyet, aile öyküsü, BIRADS 5 lezyon bulunması ve ilk kez kontrol amacıyla başvuranların oranı her iki dönemde benzerdir (p>0,05). Ancak rutin kontrol amacıyla başvuru pandemide %25,9 (n=95) ve başka kliniklerce yönlendirilme pandemide %14,7 (n=54) olup her ikisinde de oran pandemi öncesi dönemde daha yüksektir (sırasıyla p=0,047, p=0,001). Aktif şikâyetle başvuranlar pandemide %52,9 (n=194) olup bu oran pandemi öncesi dönemde daha düşüktür. (p=0,001). Bununla birlikte başvuru sebebi aktif şikâyet olanların oranı her iki dönemde diğer tüm başvuru nedenlerinden fazladır (sırasıyla %66 ve %52,9). Sonuç: Çalışmadan elde edilen verilerde COVID-19 pandemisinin, aktif meme şikâyetleri olan hastalarda poliklinik başvurularında aksamaya neden olduğu, ancak rutin kontrol hastalarını etkilemediği görülmektedir.

Keywords

• Covid-19
• Pandemi
• Meme polikliniği
• Meme cerrahisi
• Meme Kanseri.

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